Crochet Mermaid Tail Blanket

We will begin the My Little Mermaid Sleep and Snuggle Sack in just a moment. Hi, everyone. It’s Mikey and I’m proud to introduce a brand new pattern series by Yarnspirations.com It’s called the Sleep and Snuggle Sack series. Onscreen now are other sleep sacks that are available in free pattern and tutorial format. Whimsical and delightful projects that will practically guarantee a warm smile from boys and girls. Super-terrific for gift giving, and much more. If you’re wanting to try another sleep sack, then just “click to play” and I’ll forward you directly to the next one. If you’re wanting to do today’s project, well, don’t wait any further. Let’s get started right now. Welcome back to The Crochet Crowd, as well as Yarnspirations.com. I’m your host, Mikey. Let’s begin today’s tutorial on working on this fabulous mermaid tail sleep and snuggle sack by Yarnspirations.com Today’s tutorial is a comprehensive start-to-finish project. In fact, I’m working on it behind-the-scenes, in between the filming takes, so that I can show you what to do, step by step. The fin of the mermaid tail concept is basically the making or breaking point of these types of projects. The designers have done a stellar job in providing the realism look through the execution of colour but also within the shaping of the fin. When we’re crocheting it, you may think twice, but once you attach it to the main sack, the mystery is solved, and your heart will go pitter-patter in excitement as you see it come together. This mermaid tail, minus the filming and preparation it took for me to accomplish this, is about 9 hours worth of work. This project can be done in just one day, but that’s assuming you don’t get distracted. Onscreen now is the anatomy of the mermaids tail, and we’ll return back to my chalkboard in between each lesson. There are three steps involved in making this mermaid tail. So, without further ado, let’s go and let’s examine the pattern, and let’s start from there. So, let’s begin today’s pattern. Let’s just go through it really quickly, and it’s a two-page pattern, just really quite simple. It’s four balls of the Bernat Blanket Brights, this is Surf Variegated, you can see the beautiful colours, like so. And all of it is one colour. The changes of the colours are basically, it’s the variegation coming out in the ball. So, it’s almost like the tube shape that we created for the shark, but we’re not gonna do continuous rounds like we did with the shark. So, this one is going to go back and forth, and then we’re going to sew up along the back seam when everything is ready. So we’re just going to continue to grow this thing out and then we’re just going to get more and more tapered. So what we have to do is that this top area has to go for 24 inches before we start the decrease and then we start decreasing and then we do the tail. Now, the tail is 2 different sections, this side and that side sewn together. So today you’re going to need an 8 mm, size L crochet hook, 4 balls of the Bernat Blanket Brights Surf Variegated, just like so, and you’ll need a tape measure, and maybe a pen to check things off. And that’s all you’ll need today. So let’s begin to do row number 1. So, before we get started, remember we’re going to be doing this section here first, and then we’re gonna start tapering, and then we’ll do the tail. Not a very hard pattern. So we’re just gonna go back and forth in rows and on the other side of this, which you can’t see, is just a seam line through the back. So we’re gonna go through the rows and get more and more narrow and then bring it together here at the bottom. So right now we’re in the middle section, and we have to grow this length 24 inches before we can even start the tapering. So let’s get started. Ok, so do you think you’re ready? Well, let’s begin and we’re gonna create the main body that is 24 inches of the full length of the tail itself. So let’s hook to it and let’s start right now. So let’s begin row number 1. We’re gonna start off with a slipknot. Remember, that never counts as one. So, all we’re just gonna do is chain 82. Okay, so that doesn’t count as one, so just roll that hook back and pull it through, so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. And I need you to go all the way to 82 for me. And look at the colours coming out. Isn’t that fabulous? So let’s go all the way to 82 and meet me back here in just a moment. So let’s begin row number 1. We’ve got our chain, 82 are on there. So we wanna look to underneath the hook, so 1, that’s 1 stitch, 2 and 3, so go to the third one, which is the third and turn it over and get the back loop only of the stitch. And what you’re just gonna do, is you’re gonna do a half double crochet. So wrap that hook and going into the first, into the back one of the third one, and then pull through, and then pull through all three. That’s a half double crochet. Like so. So now that you did the first one, the next back loop will be right sitting in front of you and the next one and the next one. Just look at it like the spine of a reptile. And just wrap the hook, and going into the next one, you should only ever go into one strand at this point in this chain. And what this will do is it will give you the most perfect edge look on the other side. So when your child’s using it or you’re trying to squeeze yourself into it, you’re going to have the perfect edge right at the top, and it’s a really kind of a neat idea. So just look for that back loop only as you go through the chain and I want you to half double crochet, just take your time. This one is always the hardest part of any project of starting on a chain but once you get beyond this, it becomes really easy from this point forward. So just half double crochet all the way down the chain. So, now coming up to the end and the last one is a half double crochet, of course. So now you have the most perfect edge that you can see. And now we’re gonna turn the work and go for row number 2. I’m gonna show you a little bit of technique here. When it comes to double crochet, when we chained up 3, for example, if we chain up 3, that is counting as a double crochet, and then we go into the next one, which is right here. Because it’s half double crochet, I’m just gonna back up one, you only chain up 2. But with half double crochet, this first chaining up two does not count as a stitch like it would with double crochet. So your first one is right here instead of the next one over. So we’re just gonna wrap the hook, and going in and half double crochet. So you gotta remember that. So on the ends, it appears that there’s two stitches here, but in actual fact, they’re just working together as one. And that’s where a lot of people go wrong with these things. So all you’re just gonna do is just half double crochet yourself just back and forth on this until you get to 24 inches in distance from the bottom of this edge to the top of this edge that we’re workig on. So you just keep on going and going. It may take you a few hours to do it but this is mostly the hardest part of this particular pattern for time. It’s not hard as in stitches are hard, it’s just that this is where a lot of the time is sucked up, into here. Because when we get to the tail area, we start decreasing the stitches and then it gets quicker. So just half double crochet yourself to the end. I do want to just reiterate the whole idea of half double crochets on the edges so that you don’t accidentally grow too many. So continue to half double crochet all the way down. So I’m coming up all the way to the end and I have a total of 2 stitches left, ok, to keep this in balance. So it goes right into the end, just like you see. So now we’re just gonna turn our work, ok, and just continue to go back. So, chain 2, does not count as anything, go right up underneath that one for half double crochet, and then all the way across. Now, I’m gonna do all the way across and I’m gonna meet you back one more time because next time we get there, there is that chaining of 2 and the half double crochet in the first one. I do wanna show you so that you can identify it because this one that I just finished was still working on the first row, which didn’t have it there for me to show you. So let me get to the edge of the other side and I’ll show you what to look for. So I’m coming up near the end of the row and I want you to look at it. So you’ve got these 2 here that are appearing to come out of one, okay, which they are. And then these 2. So how many stitches do you got left? You got 1, 2 and 3. So you gotta watch this one here that you don’t think there’s 4 here, because the chain 2 counts as nothing. It’s just more of a builder than anything. So, 1, 2 and 3 is your final. Now, if you accidentally add more stitches here, you will add more stitches to your project. so make sure you go right into the.. Let me just get a better angle of that. So make sure you go right into it and do not think that there’s 4 at the end. Because what’s gonna happen is that it’s gonna mis-align. So you’re just gonna turn your work, chain 2, which does not count as anything, again, and then right down into the same one right underneath, and then just half double crochet across. So that’s what you have to do, you have to identify that one right on the edge or you’re gonna be in trouble for adding stitches . And if you stop too early, then obviously you’ll miss stitches. But you see? It’s still a nice flat edge. So you just gotta put some trust in that. And I want you to get from 24 inches now from here all the way to the top of this and I’ll meet you back there and we’ll continue then to progress on our My Little Mermaid Crochet Sleep and Snuggle Sack. We’ll see you again in just a few moments, which will be a few hours for me in real time. We’ll see ya. Bye. So, welcome back. I’m now 5 hours into my project, and this is what I’ve gotten so far. And I have my 80 stitches across and I have my 24 inches in the depth. So remember at the end of this project, as we get this cocoon done, we’re going to be folding over the outside edges, just like this, and we’re going to be doing a sewing line all the way down. So we’re gonna do that, so just don’t forget we’re going to be doing that at the end. So let me just take you back to where I wanna start because now we’re gonna start doing the decreasing as we work our way closer to the tail. Fabulous! Now let’s move on to do the shaping of the tail by doing incremental decreases all the way to the bottom. We will finish this with step by step instructions with sewing the back seam and across the bottom. What are you waiting for? Let’s go! So here we are and we need to have 80 half double crochets across. You cannot have any more than that because all the decreasing is gonna work in the sense of aligning with each other .So for example say you had 81 here and you were meant to have 80. Do not frog all of this, don’t be silly. So what you just wanna do is that on the very final if you wanted to eliminate a stitch out and if you had like maybe had 84 what I would do is incrementally just put 2 together just randomly down the line. The next one we’re gonna start decreasing anyway so it’s just gonna look like it’s gonna naturally blend. So we’re gonna half double crochet 2 together the final 2, say you want to eliminate a stitch, so you just put the final 2 together like this. So there’s one and you don’t finish that off, yarn over, go into the last one, yarn over, you will have 5 loops on your hook, pull through all five loops and therefore these two just became one. So this would be then taking it from 81 stitches back down to 80, so that’s how you would do it. Now for example say you had 78 instead of 80, randomly throughout here, maybe around here, and maybe around here, I would put 2 half double crochets into the same one and therefore that’ll make it expand and it’ll be pretty well invisible as well. This yarn is really quite forgiving for that. So it’s imperative that you get yourself to 80 in order before you move on to the process of finishing off the next part with the decrease. So it really does work on that number of 80 and that’s what you need to look for. Let’s begin and start decreasing our work. So let’s begin the decreasing and what we’re going to do is we’re going to chain up 2, remember that doesn’t count as anything. And in the first 8, so we come right directly underneath, the first 8, we’re going to half double crochet, so let’s do that. So we’re gonna do 1, and coming into the next one for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. So now you have 8 in a row and now the next 2 are gonna be together. It’s kind of like I just showed. So you wrap the hook going into the next one. Pull through and hold it on your hook. Okay, so you got 3 loops there. Yarn over again, going into the very next one, pull through and now you have 5 loops, pull through all of those like that. And those 2 just became one. So you wanna continue to do that same pattern going all the way across. So the next 8 are gonna be by themselves. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Okay, and then you just simply just put the next two together. So yarn over, pull through, yarn over and go into the next one, pull through, 5 loops on the hook, yarn over and pull through all five. And those 2 just became 1. So that’s what I want you to do for this one here and this is doing the first row of the decrease and this is gonna lead to the tail. So please do that and I’ll meet you at the end of this row. So I’m coming up to the final and I just did the 2 together and now I’m doing my final 8. So 1, this is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. And look at that, I got 2 more stitches left. So there is 2 left so those 2 come together. Okay, so that is how you’re gonna end this row with the final 2 being together. So let’s turn our work and let’s begin and look back at the instructions, and we’re gonna continue. So turning our work once again, and now for the next row and four others, so 5 rows in a row, it’s simply going to be chaining up 2, and 1 half double crochet into each. So the incremental… And this is like the shark that we worked on earlier. …is that this is going to taper in nice and slowly. So when I look at it here, I have the diagram, or I did. It’s pretty rough. So what we’re doing here is we’re gonna taper in. So we’re gonna taper, okay. So we’ve just done a little bit of taper and then we’re gonna do half double crochets. The half double crochets are naturally gonna wanna taper in like this, okay, so it’s literally gonna do it. So even though we’re stopping to do the decrease at this moment, it still will taper in. It takes time to have tapers, so we’re gonna do 5 rows in a row and then we’re gonna do another decrease and then we’re gonna do more just regular across and then another decrease and we’re gonna make our way all the way down to the tail with that same principal. Okay, so this is really kind of an easy pattern. So, really the decreasing is incremental, it’s not really severe. So, for 5 rows in a row, we want to do the half double crochet in each of the stitches going across. So, what I’m gonna do is, that I’m gonna leave that with you. So I want you to do 5 rows of just half double crochet. Just write it down as you go to make sure that you actually do it. And then we’re gonna meet back here, and we’re gonna do another decreasing row after that. So do 5 half double crochets in a row and I’ll see you back here in just a moment. So, welcome back I’ve just finished just five rows of just regular half double crochet. And right here is where I was when I did the together decrease, and then five rows. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. You will notice on the outside here is that you see that’s flat, and now it’s just a slightly tapering in. This does not, like, taper in, like, drastically so it does a nice stream-line kind of look. Because that’s kinda how mermaids are projected. So right now we’re ready to move on again. We’re gonna do another decrease which is gonna continue this taper further. And let’s begin to do that next. So, moving along, we’re going to chain 2, which doesn’t count as anything, if you remember. And simply, we are going to do the first 7. Remember, come into that first one, don’t forget those. And you’re gonna do that one, plus six more. So it’s gonna be a total of 7 half double crochets in a row. So, this is 2, this is 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. So, once you get 7 in a row done, the next 2 become together. So just wrap the hook going into the next one, pull through. Wrap the hook going into the next one after that, pull through. 5 loops on the hook, yarn over and pull through all 5 loops. So continue that same patterning going all the way around, or all the way across. You’re gonna do 5 half double crochets by itself and then the next 2 are together. Continue to do that. So, the last time we were down here, it was 8, so we’re gonna notice that we’re gonna progressively get less and less stitches between where we do the 2 together. Please do that for this entire row and I’ll see you at the end of this row. So I’m coming up to the end, this is 2 together. And the last ones are gonna be here. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. So now the final 2 stitches are gonna be together. So if this is not your final 2 to put them together, then you know something’s wrong. So just wrap the hook going in, wrap the hook going into the final stitch, okay. Oops, see, I went into a gap. I don’t want to do that. I want to go into a chain. And then pull through all 5 loops, so that finishes. But what I did notice as I was coming across. Look, it’s starting to taper in, so if you just match it, you can see right on the edge here. See how it was out and now it’s starting to come in. So for the next 5 rows, again, you’re just gonna do 1 half double crochet into each. So, chaining up 2, and then just continue to half double crochet all the way across for 5 more rows. Please do that and then I’ll meet you up again and then we’ll start another decrease. So 5 rows half double crochet, back and forth. So now I’m back and I’ve done another 5 rows of just regular half double crochet. And if you look again at the edge, it’s now starting to sweep around and really being amazing. So if you really kind of fold it up on each other, you will notice that it really is kinda tapering. And, let’s move along and we’re going to do a decrease row once again. Chaining up 2. And this time, it’s going to be 6 half double crochets in a row, and then we’re gonna do a decrease. So, 1, and 2, 3. I sound like an aerobic workout. And 4, this is my exercise, 5 and 6. And then we’re gonna do 2 together. So, the next 2 just put them together with the half double crochet together. Continue that same idea all the way across. So, 6 in a row then 2 together. 6 in a row… And I’ll see you at the end. You will notice that this is getting shorter and shorter in distance, and you’re speeding up. I know I am. So that’s a great sign. So, continue to go all the way across the row. So, I’m coming up to the other side and I just did my 2 together. And we’re gonna do another 6. So, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Now, there’s 2 stitches left and of course those are gonna be together. So just put those 2 together with the half double crochet together decrease, and put those there. So, again, the next 5 rows, again, are just gonna be half double crochets. This actually is getting much shorter, the distance, so I’m really starting to enjoy the project even more. You know, when you get closer to the end, you start feeling really good. So half double crochet in each stitch going all the way across for another 5 rows. So here we have a long view, and it’s extending quite far. You can see the bend of the taper that we’re currently making, and then you see it flattens out and goes straight. So, the upper part is where we started, and now we’re here. And we’re continuing to work along. Let’s move along to the next part. We’re gonna do another decrease, next. So another 5 rows are complete and we’re ready for another decrease. So this time, last time we did 6 in a row, then a decrease. This time it’s gonna be 5. So, let’s chain up 2, and the first 5 will be 1 half double crochet each. So, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. And then the next 2 are together. So, just going into the next, pull through, wrap, and go into the next after that, pull through. You get 5 loops. Pull through all of them. Continue to do the same thing, 5 half double crochets in a row, then 2 together. I’ll see you at the end of this row. I’m coming up to the end of that same row. And it’s gonna be 5 in a row, so the last one is 2 together. This is 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. So, we’re gonna have 2 stitches left after this, and those are the ones that are coming together. So, let’s bring these last 2 together, and that concludes this row. So, what I need you to do then is turn your work, and we’re gonna do another 5 half double crochet rows, and it’s gonna be amazing. So, continue to do that. Turn your work, chain up 2. And put in half double crochets for 5 rows straight, and I’ll see you back here and we’ll probably do another decrease next. So, my 5 half double crochets are now complete and we’re ready for another decrease. So, what we’re going to do then, is then chain up 2. This is the final time we’ll be doing a decrease on this part of the body. And the first 4 will be by themselves. So half double crochet the first 4. So, we got 1, and 2, 3, and 4. So the next 2 are together. So, please do this same patterning… You’ve got it. You know what you’re doing. …all the way across. So, another 4 in a row and then 2 together. I’ll see you at the end of this row. And it’s not a very long row so it’s gonna go nice and quick, too. So I’m coming up to the end of this row. This is the 2 together. Then let’s finish up. So, we got 1, 2… It’s like before. The last 2 are gonna be together. That’s 3, and 4. So you got 2 stitches left. Put those together and what we need to do then is finish this row and then we only have 5 more rows left to do on this whole main body section. So turn your work once again, and 5 more rows of just half double crochets into each. And then we’re gonna fasten off but wait for me before you do that and I’m gonna show you what to do then with the assembly. We’re gonna then put a seam in. And then I’m gonna show you how to close off the tail so it stays in balance so that you can keep the sewing line underneath of the project. So continue to half double crochet 5 rows in a row. And I’ll meet you back here in just a moment. So now completely done, this whole main area here is one big, flat piece but eventually we have to fold one side over the other and create a seam line right up through the middle. What I’m gonna do right now is that I’m gonna show you what to do here on the edge. I have not fastened off yet. I’m gonna show you a technique I use to fasten off so that you never see your tail ends. So this is currently what it looks like and we’re gonna be ready for the tail shortly. But we’ve gotta do our seams first. So let me show you how to do the weaving in of the ends. So, I’m completely done, I’m just gonna cut the string, maybe about 12 inches. And I’m just gonna pull it through this loop. And that locks it. Okay. So, I’m not quite done yet. Because this is thick yarn, we want to feed this onto a darning needle. And we do this with this particular kind of yarn and project all the time. We did it on the shark earlier. And now we’re gonna do it here. So, we’re just gonna feed it onto a darning needle. Taking the seam, and I want you to just glide the needle up underneath the stitches, catching into the fibers, and pull it back out, maybe about an inch or so. Do not come out to the finished line on the outside, just stay underneath it. And you wanna go back and forth 3 times. So this is 1. Okay, so when you do pull it, don’t go crazy and pull it too much. Go in a different path. Okay, like, in a different path, so go back in the other direction. If you go in the exact same path, it’ll fall out. So, you just want ’em to capture around some different fibers. So, this is 2. And then coming back in again and through a different area, and pulling out the other side. Just use your fingers to kind of feel around, but don’t stab yourself. And that’s 3. So now, this is permanently in, and now I can just safely cut that right down and I never have to worry about it. Okay. So this is how I would do the seam lines, whenever I’m trying to use my yarn, in order to hide the loose ends so you really kinda never see exactly where it is in the end. So let’s continue and let’s start talking about seams next. So my project’s laid out on the table like this. The taper is toward me. The other side is on the upper side. It doesn’t matter if I start up here or down here. It doesn’t matter. So what I want to do, is I want to take these sides and I wanna flip them so that they appear. So let me just back off the camera right now and let me show you exactly what to do. So, you’re just gonna turn this in, okay? And you’re gonna turn this one in. And you’re going to start down here at the bottom. Now, you notice that it’s in the middle. That doesn’t really matter right now. It will matter when we go to sew the tail onto it. What we’re gonna do for the bottom. So what I just wanna do is that I want to do this all the way up to the top. Now, this is 43 inches approximately, from here all the way to the top. You will probably need maybe about 3, possibly 4 different yarn strands to go that much space. If your darning needle yarn is too big, then it becomes a real pain. So what I’m gonna show you now is that I’m gonna show you how to do the seam all the way up and we’re just gonna follow it. And this is gonna be the inside of… What you’re looking at is the inside of the project. So after we’ve done this seam, we’re gonna flip it and the other way will be the outside. So you have to decide if you like this side better… There should be really no difference to it. But if you like one side better than the other, just flip it so that the one on the inside will be the one that you see when the child is wearing it. So, let’s continue. Let me show you how to put these seams together. So let’s begin to do the seamline all the way up. It doesn’t matter if it’s out here, or here, as long as it’s just so you can access it. Where it appears right now in the cocoon area doesn’t matter until we sew down the tail. So, what I’m saying to you is that even though I’m looking at it straight down the middle, it doesn’t really matter at this particular moment where you’re sewing it. You’re just sewing that seam. So, let’s create a slip knot on the other side of this string. I’m going to show you how to put this on. I’m going to go up a little bit and then I’m going to show you how to fasten it off, and then join another string. So what you’re looking at here is that you wanna match the rows, okay? Actually, this is take number 2. I got a partial way up and I started going a little bit offset like this, and then what’s gonna happen, by the time I go to 43 inches at the top, I’m gonna end up with the top looking like this. Okay, so what I wanna do is, that I wanna make sure that I’m looking visually where these rows are joining and that’s what my cue is to keep myself on track. So, you wanna insert the needle always into part of the chain. Never go into a space, like where my finger can go through. So when you go in, I could go in the space here, but then it’s gonna look really awkward. So you want to go into like a chain area only. Okay? And then a chain area on the other side, matching the rows together. And, so you wanna pull through and right where I did the slip knot on the other side, I wanna insert my needle into that and it’s gonna lock it into position. And we’re gonna use a darning needle to hide this last string at the end. So I’m just gonna pull it nice and tight. So, you can see that the rows are matching each other. This is a whip stitch, so you just jump on side to the other, again, going into chains, not into spaces. Okay? And what I want to do is just look up and just see where the next chains are. Just use your fingers, use your visual cues. I would almost consider doing one join across each row as I go up. This is gonna be the inside of the project that we’re looking at. So, any imperfections that you do can almost be hidden in this particular row because we have to flip this to the other side. This is the inside of the project at this moment, that you’re looking at. So when you go to pull snug, don’t go and pull it to the point where this starts to buckle upward. You wanna keep it firm but never crazy tight. So let’s just continue to move up and I will stop when I get enough of my string used and then I’ll show you how to weave in your ends to continue. Okay, so I’m running out of string and so now I haven’t got all the way to the top, obviously. So what I’m gonna do right at this point, is I’m gonna tie it so that it does a knot here. So just feed it through so it ties it into, like, a know. And I do that twice. And what I’m gonna do, you don’t want loose strings inside this because chances are, your child’s gonna crawl in just for fun. So you want to slide it in the fibers on this side of the work. Okay, so, on this side that you’re looking at, you’re gonna go in, 1, you’re gonna go in a different path, just like I showed you before, 2, and back into a different path for 3. So, back and forth 3 times. And then you can just fasten off. So, all you just need to do is restart another strand of yarn. Once again, right where it’s here, and continue to go your way to the top. I actually think I’m only gonna need 2 strands, so I did 4 feet of yarn the first time, so I’m gonna do probably another 4 feet this time, and I will get all the way to the top. Once you’re all the way to the top, just finish exactly the way I just showed you here, and you should be good to go, and then we’re gonna head back to the bottom, the tail area, and we’re gonna start working on that next. Okay, so I’m back. The seam is all the way up to the top. I’m actually really quite happy with it. It looks great. This is still the inside of the cocoon area. So we’re gonna be flipping this to the other side once we get this tail area done. So what I want you to do is, I want you to fold the tail in half. Okay, so you see it, just fold it directly in half. Let’s grab some more yarn for your sewing, and we wanna sew along the bottom. But let me tell you something before you do that. So, what we need to do, is that this seam line needs to be directly in the middle, okay, so you don’t need a ruler, you can just eye it up. And what we want to do, is that we want to sew this whole area together at the bottom. And the tail is going to attach at this particular spot as well. So creating a slip knot just like I showed you before, and just feeding it in your darning needle onto the other side. Okay, so what you wanna just do is just right in the end, where it’s kinda folded over, just go directly across, right into the stitchwork. And just pull through and put the needle through the slipknot to lock it. Now this is the little trick. You can just lay this down over top and then what happens is that you advance to the next stitch that’s in both sides and just go directly across from each other. And when you lay this down over top, what’s gonna happen is it’s gonna come back over top and lock it into position. So, again, just coming and advancing one more stitch in both sides and just advance all the way over. So you just wanna whip stitch yourself all the way across. I’ve already shown you how to whip stitch. So, it’s just back and over top. And remember, don’t go too crazy with the tightness of it. You just wanna make sure it’s snug but not compressed so that you don’t disturb it in any way. So, see, you can see I’m getting that stuck underneath so I don’t need to weave that in later. It’s right underneath the stitchwork. And this is gonna be the inside of the cocoon anyway. So continuing to do that, when you get to the end, just fasten off. Just hide in the yarn ends like I showed you before, just going back and forth 3 times and you should be good to go. And this one is really easy. So, this is gonna be the final conclusion of this. Make sure that you turn this inside. You’re looking at the inside right now. Just flip it the other way so that you’re looking at the good side. So if the child is wearing it, you can see it with the side he’s on, or she’s on. So, continue to do that, and when we come back, then we’ll start and work on the tail area next. Perfect. and now you’re ready to continue on. And now we’re ready to do the fun stuff that will get the kids all excited So let’s do the tail together. I’ve taken my time in this particular section to show you the horizontal bar section of the stitch, and extra tips. We will finish this section by joining the two fins together to create one tail. And let’s get going. So, let’s ready, set, and hook. So, let’s move on to the tail. We have the cocoon done. It already has the seam, it’s done on both sides. Now it’s time for the tail. So, the tail consists of 2 different panels that are sewn together at the small area here. And what you’re looking at here is that you will see that the shaping looks different on the model, and there’s a reason for that, which I’ll explain. So what we need to do, is that we need to do 2 of these. And I have my stitch markers up because I’m gonna teach you some techniques in order to keep count on this particular item. And I think that you’ll be very successful with this at the same time. So. let’s go over the pattern. So you see that the tail looks all nice and ruffled up, it looks really quite authentic. The tail on a mermaid item like this will make or break the project. So, this looks really realistic, I think fans are gonna love it and I thinks it’s not really hard to maintain. And so, you’re gonna notice it looks really ruffled, but then this one doesn’t, here on what we have. So what’s gonna happen is, we’re gonna do 2 pieces. One side and then the other. I’ve already done one just to practice. And so, I’m just gonna do the other. So, what’s gonna happen is it’s gonna look like this. And at the top here, once they both are done, we’re gonna sew right here so there will be an addition on this side. But you will notice that the distances of here to the top of this item here, there’s like a big-time difference. So what’s gonna happen is that we’re gonna put both pieces together and we’re going to crinkle up the top area up here. And this has, like, ribbing effects going on and so we’re going to just when we do it, just kinda do it like this and it’s gonna cause this to kinda bend and really kinda have some really unique features at the bottom. So both the panels literally have to fit within the top of this area here, so the other one will go over here. So, this is what we’re gonna be concentrating on today. So, you’re gonna notice that we have some ribbing effect on both sides, okay? And this is not as hard… I have some stitch markers in to help keep count. But how did I do this? And this is a really unique technique, and I’ve done a little mini sample in another colour to show you where you need to look in order to create the ribbing effect. So let’s go ahead and do that first and then we’re gonna come and start this next. So, here on the pattern, we have what is a note here of where we’re to go. And where to play within the horizontal bars that we’re gonna go into. So, when we go to look at stitches over here, is that we always have the typical look across the top. So we always have our two strings on top which make a stitch, just like you see, there and there, but what we’re going to do with this particular one is that when we turn it around, we’re going to look for the horizontal bar. So the one on top here, that you see right here, if you just turn it, you’ll see that it’s the regular stitch, so we wanna play within the secondary one right here. This is the horizontal bar. Now, when you’re going to do this with the variegated yarn, this is not so easy to tell, so you just gotta get your eyes just used to here, where you’re looking, because you can see it in the variegated yarn, it’s just not as obvious. And where did we finish up there? So, when we go here, where did we see it here? It’s different colours because it’s variegated, but it’s right here. Right? Do you see it? Okay? So that’s where we’re gonna be playing. When you do that, what’s gonna happen is it’s gonna make the other side have a ribbing effect just like this. Okay? And what it’s gonna do is, it’s gonna allow the material to bend and shape by doing so. And you know, technically, like, fins of any kind of fish anyway already have ribs, so this is a kinda easy way to do it. However, this is a really easy way to screw up, too. And this is actually my second time that I had to try this because I totally screwed up the first time. And I wanna show you some techniques which I think will help you in the end as well. So, you’ll notice in the pattern, and I will teach how to look at this, is that whenever we head to the outside of the tail, all the way to the bottom of the tail where you see it dangling, that is always gonna be a half double crochet on the horizontal bar. When we go back in the other direction, it’s always gonna be a double crochet in the horizontal bar. So, we go out with half double crochet and we come back with double crochet. So let’s contnue and let me show you what to do. So, we’re gonna start off and we’re gonna chain 2, which counts as a half double crochet. Now, technically, what we normally do is come into the very first stitch. But in this particular case, we don’t. We have to look for the horizontal bar here. So, what we have to look for is this piece right here. Do you see it? Okay, so, the top, if I stick my pencil all the way through, is your stitches. Your normal stitches. But if you look just below it, that’s the horizontal bar. So, let’s go out and do a half double crochet on the horizontal bar. So wrap the hook, coming in, and just use your kinda thumb to kinda force things onto your hook if you have to, and coming in and just secure the horizontal bar with a half double crochet, and this is instantly going to create the ribbing effect on the other side. So, the first one’s in. So, look for the next one Do you see it? It’s right in front of you. So, what I did, I actually did the tail and had to frog the whole thing. And I tried again and I still screwed up, so, what I was doing, is that sometimes I was grabbing the strands that are like leaning down like this or I was going for this one up here. Do you see that? So what I want to do is look for the obvious one. I was making it harder for myself. I don’t know why. And because of that, I was throwing off my counts and therefore I ended up with more stitches and I was supposed to be decreasing. So you just move along on the horizontal bar when you’re moving onto the outside of the fin, okay? So, what’s gonna happen is that once you get close to the outside of the fin, the very bottom, is that you are going to stop 3 stitches short in order to create the look of the fin. So just look here, 1, 2, 3. So you’re gonna put one here. So, if you were to do a stitch marker right in that spot, it would really greatly help you. So let’s do a stitch marker there. So, 1, 2, 3, and I’m gonna put a stitch marker in the 4th one. Okay? Also, what helps me as well is to keep count of the stitches and we’ll talk about that when we get there. So, this is kind of a really unique way to do things. It’s kind of a little complicated but I will tell you that, as I mentioned already, is that the tail of any kind of mermaid thing like this will make or break the project. People will either be convinced by the tail or they’ll say the tail looks cheap. So this one, I think the tail is actually pretty realistic and I think it’s amazing. So I’m about to hit the stitch marker, so this is the last one and I’m about to stop. Okay? So, we stop there and it creates that look of what you see within the pattern of kind of jutting in and out. So let’s try to work and do the next row going back in the other direction. So whenever you turn your work and you head back toward the bottom of the tail where it attaches to the main project, you are going to just always chain 2, that counts as one of the stitiches. So, this one here, the rails look slightly different, the horizontal bars look slightly different versus crochet and double crochet. So here, this is double crochet, so it looks slightly different. And this here is half double crochet. So you’ll see it kind of like leans down a little bit and so you gotta watch that. So we’re just gonna immediately jump to the first one. We’re gonna skip this one. Just jump to the first one, and we’re always going to double crochet ourselves back to the top of the tail, where it joins to the main body. So going down to the bottom, right to the end of the fins, is going to be half double crochet down and then on the way back up, we are going to do double crochet on the horizontal bar moving back toward the body. Again, it makes a big difference to count, and I will talk about that when we get to the pattern. But this is how you would do this kind of stitch. It’s not hard, it took me a little bit of practice. Now, this last one is always hard to get into, so you see here, it’s just right there. You just gotta kinda manipulate things a little bit. I don’t want to have any denial here in the video. Not everything is easy-peasy. And so then we come into the very final turning chain. So don’t go into a gap, go into a turning chain as your final. Okay? So, now you look at it here, it’s like, “Well, where’s the ribbing?” Here, it’s on the other side. See that? So the ribbing is every other one, depending on which side that you’re looking at. So, let’s go back to the pattern and let’s start reviewing and just see if you can manage to do this one. So, here’s the pattern once again and we’re gonna make 2 tails. So, like, we’re gonna chain 38 to start and then we’re gonna do some half double crochet across the chain and then we’re gonna start this work. So, it’s gonna be repeating rows 2 and 3 several times. So row 2 is heading toward the outside of the fin, so all the way down to the bottom, and row 3 heads back to the join. So it’s always gonna be half double crochet coming out and then double crochet coming back in toward the tail, and it’s always gonna be in the horizontal bars. So once we get this done, it says repeat this until you get a total of, wait, what was it, 21 stitches remaining. So every time you go out, okay, you’re going to subtract 3 stitches off the very end and then come back. Okay? So, then when you go to repeat it again, you’re going to subtract another 3. So what we had here is that we had 36 half double crochet but when we went back out, we left 3 remaining, so there’s only 33. so then we come back into the top so we have 33. We’re gonna come back out again, and this time it will only be 30 because we’ll stop 3 short, and then come back for 30. We come back out for 27 only, and then go back in for 27. Back out for 24, back in for 24. Out for 21, and then back in. It’s important that you count. So what you’re gonna notice here on the pattern when I go to look at it is that it naturally wants to do a kind of like a bending shape, like this. Do you see? Oh, let me just zoom this out. And what you want to notice her is that it naturally wants to make this curve that it has. That’s one of the neatest things about it. So, we’re gonna do one side and then we’re gonna do the other. Sew it up here, and then we’re gonna start bunching at the top and then sew it to the main body, to give the exact look that you see, really quite here. So let’s give this a try and see if you can manage this one, and this is not hard. I think this is what’s gonna make or break your project. So, let’s begin. So let’s begin with a slip knot. Okay. So, it says that we need to chain 38. So let’s do so. So, I left a little bit extra so I can use that to hide it in. I’m also gonna use a stitch marker. It’s just white yarn. Just leftover yarn. It doesn’t matter the colour. So remember we’re just gonna chain 38. So 1, 2 3, 4 and 5. Go all the way to 38 for me, and meet me back here in just a moment. So, I have my 38 completed just like you see here. So what I wanna do is go 4th chain from the hook. So 1, 2, 3. Go to the 4th. Turn it around. Get the back loop only of that, and just half double crochet. So now that you have it turned over, the rest of it is gonna stay turned over. So this first one counts as a half double crochet, and so does this one, for counting. So you’re just move across your chain and just half double crochet in the back loop only. Once you do the first one, the chain stays turned over, which makes it nice and easy. So, by the time you get all the way back across, you’re going to notice that there’s going to be 36 half double crochets which includes this one right here at the beginning. So please just half double crochet all the way across your chain. So, I have my 36 on here, do double check. Okay, just pull them apart and just make sure that you have 36 half double crochets. It makes a difference. You’re doing 2 of them. You want them to match. Turn your work and just hold on here and what we’re going to do is that we’re going to place a stitch marker. So this time on the way out, remember this is the end of the fin now. This side here where we are is the top where it joins to the bottom of the cocoon. Okay? So what we want to do is that we wanna come back out but stop on the 4th one, so we wanna leave 3 stitches unmarked. So the first one is 1, 2, 3, and go to the 4th, grab that stitch marker and I want you to pull that through to give you a visual aid on where to stop. Now, because you’re not playing in the top of the stitches, because you’re gonna do the horizontal bar, you gotta just use this as a visual. As I mentioned before, I did make a mistake the first time through, it’s that I wasn’t counting. I honestly recommend that you need to count. You physically need to count as you go. So what I’m gonna do is that we’re gonna get started. So we’re gonna start out, and this time, we’re only gonna have 33 stitches instead of 36, because we have to stop early. So let’s begin and on the way out, always to the end of the tail end, we’re always gonna stop 3 stitches short and it’s always gonna be half double crochet So chain 2, and jump to the next one. Now, I already showed you how to do the horizontal bar, so look for it. Do you see it? It’s right there. Okay? Once you do the first one, you’ll see them all start to pop. Your eyes just automatically go to it. So just, here’s the first one, and we need to count all the way across and this time it’s only gonna be 33. So we’re just gonna half double crochet, the one. So remember this first one counts as 1, so you’re officially now at 2. so you go along, 3, keep going with the horizontal bar, 4, 5, 6. Now, I’m making this look easy. Remember, I have had practice. Okay? I did the other one already. So I’m making it look easier. So, 6 and 7, let me turn it around so you see that the back rib is starting to happen. So I’m on number 7 at this moment. And 8, 9, 10, 11. I’m not gonna count all these rows, just so ya know. So, it was 11, then there’s 12, 13, 14, 15, this is 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 is next, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, just get some more yarn. That was 31. 32, and 33. So here it is there. So just let your counting be accurate. Okay? So let that just work out. So that was 33 across. If you’re not sure, just count again. So 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. Oh, I’m 1 short. So, there you go. There’s the stitch marker there. I’m just… I must’ve lost count at some point. So, it is at 33 now. So this is where I went wrong the first time, is that I never counted. Because I did that, and I would’ve done it again this time around. It’s important that you count. Let’s turn our work and go for the next row. So, these are the 2 repeat rows. So every time now… This is the end of the fin, this is where it joins. You’re always stopping 3 short. So when you come back to the top where it joins, it’s always gonna be chain 2, move to the next stitch, horizontal bar, and it’s always gonna be double crochet back up. Now, you’ve already eliminated your 3 out, so it will again be 33, for a second time. So you will have noticed on my notes that it’s always down and back with the same number of stitches. So that’s 3, and 4, this is 5, 6, this one’s 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, this is 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, next one here, remember I said that in the sample it’s always harder to see this one. This’ll be 32. And remember we were looking for 33, so just take your time getting that one out. When you’re operating with this big yarn, sometimes these hooks are too blunt. That was 32. And then finally in the turning chain for 33. So you can see that we went 33 out, we stopped 3 early, and then 33 back out. So we’re gonna turn our work and now you need to continue to repeat. So again, what I would do to prepare is count 1, 2, 3, go to the 4th stitch, move that stitch marker. So just get that stitch marker that you had and pull through there, that’ll give you the visual cue that you need. Okay. Perfect. And then what I want to do then is restart again. So this time instead of 33 down, I wanna stop early, so this time it’s gonna be 30. So you go down for 30 on the horizontal bar for half double crochet, come back for 30. Then you’re going to go down again and you’ll eliminate another 3, so it’ll be 27, and then 27 back up. You’ll go down again for 24 ’cause you’re gonna eliminate 3, and then back up. And then you’re gonna go back down again for 21, and then back up. So what want you to do is continue to do this so that you end up with the right number of stitches at the end and then what we’re gonna do is that we’re gonna come back and then we’re gonna sew everything together. So I think I’m just gonna, just stick with you with one more down and back, just to make sure that you got his under your belt. Okay, so let’s begin going back down. We’ve already moved the stitch marker so it’s only gonna be 30 down. So remember, on the way down toward the end, the fin, it’s chain 2, come into the next one. There’s only gonna be 30 half double crochets on the horizontal bar. So this is considered 2, ’cause that first chaining of 2 counted as 1. And, let’s start moving down. So, this is gonna be 3. this is 4, and it’s 5. Oops, this was gonna be 5. Now it’s gonna be 5. Tension is a big deal on this particular stitch, just so that you’re aware. I’m making it look harder than it was. So, it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Continuing to go down. So I’m gonna go down for 30. This is gonna be 7. And 8, this is 9, and that’s 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, here’s 15, 16, this is 17, 18, 19, 20. My camera angle that I always do is not really convenient for me, but it’s more convenient for you to see. So 21, 22, 23, okay, we got 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29… I know this is long. And 30. So 30 is right where the stitch marker is, so I know I’m right. So, if you wanna count it to double check, then you can. So, then once you’re down and you’ve stopped, and you’re 3 short, you can see it starting to really take shape. Turn it around. This time you chain 2, and then half double crochet yourself back on the horizontal bar, going in the other direction. I’m going to leave this with you now to complete the rest of this particular tail. The instructions are there. I did show you my notes of the stitch counts, which you can go back and just grab a screen copy if you want to. Just write it down if it makes it easier for you. So when we come back, I’m gonna have this done and then we’re gonna sew it together and then we’re gonna carry on, because we are literally almost done with your mermaid tail once you get 2 pieces of these done, and then we put it together. So last time I left you, we were about here, and I worked my way back up to the top, and you can see it steps up just like so. This one I think is better than the original one that I started with, but I came to understand the pattern, and I think it makes a difference when you can do a twice run-through. So I’m just gonna weave in this area here. I’m gonna do that later. But right now what we want to do is that we want to do a second one of this. So you’re gonna do a second one and then you’re gonna meet me back here in just a moment and I’m gonna show you how to attach them together, and then we’re gonna attach it then to the sack itself. Okay, so I brought back my second one. I can take out any stitch markers that I’ve used. Those are gone. Don’t ever worry about those again. So now what I want to do, is that I wanna attach it right here so that the outside looks like this. So, you’re thinking, “Wow, that looks pretty boxy.” Remember that when you look at the sack area, back up at the top, it’s only this wide. So all of these have to then compress into here, which gives you the look of the actual fin. So what we want to do, is that we want to sew along this line. And I left an extra long strand on one, so what I’m gonna do is just grab my darning needle. I didn’t say to do that, by the way, but if you did, great. I don’t know what I was thinking half the time, but usually I do use an extra long one when I’m finishing a project anyway, so I left one on the other side too. So what I’m just gonna do is match the stitches across from each other with a whip stitch. Just going into the original one here and then just go into the same, matching stitch on the other side, and I wanna pull through that. Now, I actually showed you how to whip stitch already, with using that slip stitching technique, with the slip knot. Do that if you have to fasten on your yarn. If not, you can just do exactly what I’m doing. So, I’m just going to match the stitches across all the way down, and then I’m just gonna weave in my strand, just like I showed you before, with going back and forth 3 times, in order to do this. So, this… Even if this creates a slight ridge, you already have the ridges already appearing anyway, so it really is kind of an extra technique, but I don’t think it will. This technique can lay pretty flat. So, continue just to whip stitch all the way to the end and then fasten that off, and then we’re gonna come back and we’re almost done, literally almost done with this thing. And I literally started last night and I got 5 hours in last night and then a little bit today. So it hasn’t been too much of a tough project, generally. So, let’s get this done and I’ll see you back here in just a moment. So get this completely sewn across and weaved in, and weave in all the extra yarn tails at the same time. So, now I’m back. I have it sewn together. On both sides, you can see the ridging is on both sides so it doesn’t matter which side the child is wearing it on. So now what we have to do, is that we have to kinda bunch up the top and we have to do it strategically. So what we need to do, is that we need to single crochet 20 stitches from here to here, and 20 from here to here. And, literally, if you’re familiar with crochet, this 20 is way too big for this section, so therefore, it’s going to start compressing in, so what you have to do is be strategic about this and it’s going to create the layers that it looks like in the model by doing so. Okay, so what we want to do is just grab our yarn, and we’re gonna start in the one corner and work our way across. So my goal is, and I’m not gonna do this live on camera, but my goal is here, when you go in, you gotta make sure that you try to get it into like chain work, don’t ever try to get it into a space, because then you’ll see it hanging from the sleep sack with spaces, so get it right into chainwork. So coming into the first one, just put the straggler down on top of it so that it gets stuck underneath. So let’s just join it with a slip stitch, chain 1, and single crochet into the same one. So, in the first few… So, somehow you gotta be able just to kinda eye out maybe 20 here. Okay, you gotta do 20, but just eye it out in some way. So you got 1, 2, 3,4,5. There’s 5 ridges, okay, so if you look at that, so then if you went in between, so this would give you 10, right? And then you just gotta kinda look at it. So you almost gotta just kinda work it out. And it’s actually not that hard to do. So just working your way across the top, just get 20 in there. So, I’ve already done 1. This is 2. And 3. And 4. Now, once you get enough of that in there, you can hide that straggler too. That was 4, so you got 5, it’s going into a chain. And just continue to go. So,I’m already at 5 here, so 10 would be about here, and then 15, and then 20. And then I continue again. So just don’t fasten off, just continue to do the same thing, going all the way across. Okay, so now I have my 20 on each side and I’m ready to go. So, again, it’s much bigger than the sack that you have here. So,what I recommend is that what we’re gonna do is that we have to get all of this into just this little space. So, grabbing some stitch markers, just some spare yarn, I wanna come into the middle one here, just eye it up, you don’t need a ruler. And just eye it up the middle section of your sleep sack. Okay, and pull that yarn through. And that’ll help you stay in balance when you’re going to sew this because you kinda have to squash things, so I’m just going to just tie a little bow tie, like that. So, now what I want to do is that I want to do the same with the outside edges. And, so, just again, just coming in to the outside edge, outside edge here, and again, I just need it to hold it into position so I can figure out how to sew all that so that it’s gonna stay relatively equal. Nothing’s worse than, you know, getting this done and then realizing that your tail is out of balance. So just continue to do this. Okay, and then come back to the other side. And do the outside one here. And you can kinda see it starting to look like that model. I just like the nice tail feathers all ruffled. Oh, tail feathers. The tail fin all looking all nice and ruffle-y. If you want to do any more of these, you can. If you need it to hold it into position, but it’s really important. I did this for the shark as well just to make sure that I got it right. And so this is what it’s gonna look like. So I just have to kinda just bend things and fold things as I sew it to the end and it will create these nice ruffling effects. Oh, there. Like that, when I get it done. So you might just want to just kind of work things up. See these bends? This is why you’ve gone in those ridges, to give you that ultimate look of being raised like that. So when you squish them all together, as you can see, the designers thought about that, is that they all kind of fan and work perfectly and fit nice and perfect into that space, like so. So, now it’s my goal to put these 2 together with a darning needle. Using the same technique that I did before, just a strand of yarn and slip knot. I want to start on one side and just continue to work my way across. I wanna take my time. I’ve already shown you how to whip stitch, so all you’re just gonna do here is just whip stitch it to the outside edge. I’m just gonna get rid of this one that’s in the way. It helps just to get visualization, but don’t take out the others until you get there. Okay, so I’m just gonna do this. Come straight across, get to the outside. So look at the very base of it, and just kinda come across. And then pull it most of the way through, and when you get close to that slip knot, just put the needle through the slip knot, just like this, and that will lock it into position. So pull it nice and tight. Okay, and I’m gonna worry about this extra strand later. So, just pull everything nice and tight. And what I want you to do is look for the ridges. So, where it’s ridged, you can be popped up. Because the other point is naturally wanting to pop down. And on the other side, it looks identical as well. So, just moving along. Okay, just moving along the tail, just put them together with whip stitches, like so So, my goal is, is that I need to get all of this kind of equally sewn in before I get to the stitch marker in the middle. Therefore, I know all of this fin is then equally on one side, and then do the same for the other. So, I’m gonna leave this with you. Just kinda keep going and get this all sewn in. So, that’s it for today. My friends at yarnspirations.com and myself, Mikey of The Crochet Crowd, we would like to thank you for joining us today in making My Little Mermaid Sleep and Snuggle Sack. It’s been a pleasure to teach you today, and if you’re looking for more free pattern and tutorial ideas, you can always count on us to keep the inspiration free and ideas flowing. Have an amazing day! Hope to see you back here real soon. Bye Bye. We’ll see you again.

I'm so excited to start this.. I'm trying to make one for an adult and when I chain the 82 I just don't think that that is long enough for the width of the body. If I want to make it longer for wider are their certain multiples (plus the 2) or can I make it as long/wide as I want as long as I add the 2 at the end?

Hi Mikey. I purchased Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn. In Australia it was all I could get, but it looks thicker than yours. Will this be ok? My granddaughter is so excited (Nana better do well lol). I am having trouble with choosing the right hook. Thank you for the wonderful tutoring. Jan Berens Australia.

I just did my first mermaid blanket ~ I just could NOT get the tail correctly (I've never done the horizontal bar). So glad that I decided to look you up on youtube. Although my pattern says DC for the tail, I think I'll be able to follow your instructions. (I used a variegated yarn, so patience will be my new name) Again, thanks Mikey.

I want to make it with regular red heart type yarn. I realize I would need to add more chain at the beginning but was wondering how many do you think? We live in florida and it wouldn't be as heavy that way. I used the bulky before and it was great for cold weather.

Thank you so much for the wonderful tutorial. I am happy to say I have completed my very first mermaid tail for my niece's birthday this week. I have already had several requests from my sons girlfriends to make them one(already started on the adult version). Thinking of make a shark one next:). So many great tutorials, so little time lol

so in the part about the fins, the instructions say hdc all the time, yet on the row going back from the fin tip (your video), you say to use dc when you're going away from the fin tip, and hdc when going towards to the tip. confused.

Mikey I have watched your tutorial so many times and each time the tutorial was over , I would go to comments and ask for the pattern, would you PLEASE tell me how and where i can get it, I tried to get one of Emi patterns, no luck with her either, Thank you for your help,

To keep the body matched up evenly I used safety pins and pinned the body all the way up to the top; then I sewed the seam, removing the pins one at a time till I got to the top. Hope this helps someone.

Just another idea… I ran a running stitch across the top of the tail fins and drew it up to make it match the width of the bottom of the body. Then I used 3 safety pins to attach it to the body and then I sewed the two parts together.

Hi Mikey, was wondering if you have a video avail for a snuggle sack that I don't have to sew up the back? Everytime I try to sew up the seam it looks wonky…..would love to make one that is a complete cocoon while crocheting it….does that make sense? lol

Thanks for this tutorial. It was really easy to understand and I managed to make it quite quickly. This is the third of your tutorials I have used and they have all been absolutely superb. Thank you very much. 🙂

Please help! I've made the tail, two parts exact and of course they don't match up! What did I miss? They are exactly the same but when put together the ridges are on the wrong side of one side of the tail! Help! S. O. S. Mikey!

This is amazing! I'm not very skilled at crochet! I do hats and baby booties. But this tutorial was awesome! Thank you for being so easy to follow! I did one with a little smaller yarn and hook for my 2 yr old. We absolutely love it! My older girls want one now, lol! Thanks again!

Ok so to answer a few people's question about the fin: It seems Yarnspirations has changed the pattern. If you look at Mikey's printed pattern in row 3 it says DC, but when you download the pattern now, it says HDC. I'm sure both will work, I would assume they changed it for a reason. I feel like HDC throughout will look better and that's what I'm going to do. 🙂

Do not know if you will get this quick question I'm new to the crochet world and I'm wondering if on roe 2 am I going through both pices of yarn on the top or still just the back one like you showed for the hdc on the main chain

I love thi blanket. its look like this product. https://www.simpledeals.net/collections/womens-clothing/products/new-mermaid-blanket-high-quality-blankets-knitting-fish-tail-blanket I will buy thank you :))

Quick question Mikey, you were on the second row for decrease and went from 7 to 5 and back to 7..I'm pretty sure that was a lil blooper but I would like confirmation.. Do I don't masher a big mistake at the beginning that would be very long headache later 😀 ty your AWESOME as always,, HAPPY NEW YEAROpps! DOUBLE that quick question! I have red great super saver ombre if i double it up Will that work for the 3,4 yr old tall childs? Thanks AGAIN

After reading the comments I'm COMPLETELY leery of trying this! I see a discrepancy in the second decrease. As did another..think it was a blooper. No biggy but what up with the tail y'all..? Do I fallow video, pattern? HELP PLEASE, this needs to get done asap. By the way GREAT community ..the fact we can he'll one another is WONDERFUL! Past on everyone's back! HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!!

Mikey I am going to make this for my grand niece,she will be 6 years old in May Thank you for mentioning the difficulties you were having,and how you resolved them.Your videos are so clear and easy to learn from

Hi Mikey, thank you so much for this tutorial. I made this for my next door neighbor's daughter for her birthday. She just turned 3. I made it using the child's pattern so that could grow with it. It turned out wonderfully. I also made the Owl pillow for another neighbor's daughter for her birthday. I would like to make the mermaid tail snuggle blanket for a doll the size of the American Girl doll. How can I do that. I love your tutorials.

To Bernat, I love your yarn BEYOND ALL yarns! It's gentle on the skin (while working it is a major BLESSING) however, I'm desperate for a wide range of COLORS…. COLORS….. COLORSSSS!HI MIKEY, IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT oops with Bernat OH I'd be grateful! This color for the tail is sad! (To me 😛 though I know it's REALLY limited options for a project such as this. I'm freaking in full Technicolor! Have a good one~

Really wish the cocoon part stayed open and the tail fin was not a flat piece, but could be made to where the child's feet could also go into it. Not open at the bottom with just the tail fin laying over the feet, like I have seen other patterns, but more of a 3D tail fin. I haven't been crocheting long enough to figure out how to do this without having to crochet two flat tail fins and sewing them together after. Plus I don't think I have the time to even do that! trying to finish it in time for my nieces birthday on the 30th. But maybe I can find a hollow, 3D tail fin pattern when I make the next one for my daughter! No rush on that on at least! She got a cheaply made, store bought, sewn mermaid tail blanket for Christmas, that is like that, but it's already ripping from her walking around the house in it!

i love you maan !!!!! , i'm so grateful i found your channel before winter so i can hurry making some cute snuggly projects for the beautiful season , you know what this will be my first project, thank you so so so much i love how clear your explanation is. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT JOB SIR